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Redwood National And State Parks Superintendent Honored For Natural Resource Stewardship

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By Compiled From N... - November 2nd, 2022

Redwoods National and State Parks Superintendent Steve Mietz/NPS

Redwood National and State Parks Superintendent Steve Mietz was honored and recognized with the National Park Service Director’s Award as Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resource Stewardship for his work in implementing landscape scale watershed conservation efforts with park partners and local tribes.

This award recognizes National Park Service superintendents who go above and beyond in performance of their duties toward resource protection. 

In 2021, Mietz presided over the park's California Condor restoration program in close partnership with the Yurok Tribe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As a result of final efforts in 2021, condors were released on May 3, 2022 -- a seminal moment in the park's history with deep meaning for the Yurok people. This release reestablished a population of California condors in the Pacific Northwest for the first time since 1933.  

The superintendent also has worked to minimize the impact of the U.S. Highway 101 bypass to old growth redwoods, implemented watershed restoration across 35,000 acres of park land, and negotiated with partners for the 2026 acquisition of a 125-acre former redwood logging mill site, with plans to restore the site's natural resources and provide a trails gateway for visitors to self-orient to the park's southern district. The restoration of this site will also improve habitat for listed salmon species. 

“Restoring degraded resources in Redwood National and State Parks is a complex task that requires leadership, vision, and commitment, and this award honors Steve’s excellent work," said Leonel Aguello, the park's program manager for resource management and science. "But Steve would say this award reflects just as positively on the partners, friends, and stakeholders with whom he works daily. To Steve, this is a shared honor for the successful partnerships that will benefit the park and visitors for generations to come.” 

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